Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta

a large black cast iron pan full of creamy Italian sausage pasta in a tomato sauce.

5 from 1 vote

Pasta, Italian sausage, herbs, garlic, tomatoes, and spinach combine with heavy cream to make a flavorful Tuscan-style pasta that can be a stand-alone meal or served with sides to serve a crowd.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Servings:

Calories: 595kcal

Ingredients

16 ounces rigatoni pasta
1 pound Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic pressed
56 ounces crushed tomatoes (2 cans)
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning dried
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
4 cups fresh spinach

Instructions

Cook pasta to al dente per package directions. Once done, drain.
While the pasta cooks, brown the sausage in a large heavy bottomed skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once it is no longer pink, stir in the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds.
Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt and mix to combine. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan, then add the spinach and mix for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to wilt.
Pour the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss to coat. Serve warm with additional parmesan for garnish.

Notes

Substitutions:

Rigatoni - Penne or Ziti

Italian Sausage - Pork sausage or Spanish chorizo.

Crushed tomatoes - Tomato sauce or diced tomatoes.

Heavy Cream - Half and half.

Parmesan - Romano, Asiago, Grana Padano.

Fresh Spinach - Thawed and drained frozen spinach.

How to Store:

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

in the refrigerator for 3-4 days

How to Freeze:

Making this Italian sausage pasta recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.

To freeze before cooking

Cook the pasta and drain, then set aside.
Make the sauce, but leave out the spinach and cream.
Freeze the cooked pasta and sauce in separate containers.
When ready to cook, thaw both in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.
Warm the sauce, add the cream and then spinach, then toss in the thawed pasta.

How to Reheat:

This pasta with sausage and spinach can be reheated in the microwave using 30-second bursts or on the stovetop over low heat. If the sauce has thickened too much, add a splash of water to loosen it up.

How to Scale:

This recipe can easily be doubled in a large skillet for more servings or halved to serve less.

Nutrition